Newsletter | December 2022"
Yesss....we go to a beautiful school!!! "
What will 2023 bring?
Dear reader,
Every time we share the story about the project in Sailung, it is still amazing to us that 2.5 years ago there were only 3 corrugated iron classrooms in which more than 40 children were taught. And now there is a fully equipped school building where 105 children are taught by 6 teachers. Your donations and a fantastic team in Sailung have done that exceptional job. Namaste!!
Sagar has been visiting family in Sailung and stayed with Krishna and Shanti. During this period there was a school holiday because of Dashain, but he visited the school just before the return journey. Because he visits here regularly, he sees how the children flourish from going to school together and learning new things.
“Sailung speaking”
Bikash (teacher at the school since this school year) and Krishna (principal) have a short talk just before the Christmas holidays.
The team from KLES Ton Memorial School Sailung wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
News from Sailung
In the previous newsletter you could read that the construction work has been completed and the container with mainly school supplies has arrived. The container was filled with so many boxes that there were always surprises. So is a box of finger paint. This allowed all children to experience how to print your hand. Awesome.
The bus runs its daily route to take the children from home to school and vice versa. The children enjoy coming to school 6 days a week, weather permitting. In the rainy season it was impossible to run the bus for a few days. Lessons were then held in a room of the VDC building in the lower community.
In December, the schoolyard was paved with tiles that were once used as roofing material in a higher-lying village. After the major earthquake in 2015, the "roof" tiles were replaced by corrugated iron for safety. Everyone was happy with the deal and it saves a lot of mud in the classrooms during the rainy days.
The last week before Christmas, the children have a test week in which they are given a test for all subjects. The results are processed in a printed overview with the scores of the child and the score compared to the other children in the class. At Christmas they have a week of Christmas holiday. After the Christmas holidays they will receive the score overview home.
The special thing is that there are many parents who unfortunately cannot read the results themselves because they have not had any form of education. The children can then usually explain it.
It is great to see together how the children and the Ton Memorial School in Sailung can develop in this way.
Program 2023
Now that the first goal, realizing a good school, has been completed, in consultation with the board in Sailung and in the Netherlands, work has been done on drawing up a 3-year plan, as stated in the objectives of the foundation: the social and to improve the economic situation of children and adults in Sailung.
The following key points have been defined for this:
1. Educational Programs
In addition to education for the children, also education for adults.
Such as: women's education program, agricultural knowledge transfer, sewing lessons, adult reading and writing program, internet access facility.
2. Health: medical post annex birth center
It is a great wish of the community in Sailung to have a well-equipped medical post close by, so that acute medical situations can be responded to. Such as, for example, complex deliveries.
The VDC (Village Development Committee) has made land available and also leveled it, and also built a dirt road to it.
Agreements about building the post have now been laid down on paper.
In the photo you can see the chairman signing the documents.
As announced, the Laren-Blaricum-Eemnes interchurch community would support the construction of the medical support center annex birth center through their 40-day action. But we were pleasantly surprised when the amount for the support was communicated to us: € 25,000. A special thanks for that.
3. Agriculture
The economic significance of local agriculture is great. It is therefore logical to look for ways to improve the yield, so that the economic situation grows (and therefore also the possibility that more families can pay the school contribution themselves).
Step by step we want to get a picture of the potential of the area in terms of soil, climate and conditions. But also how local farmers can become interested in a new approach and how we can transfer new knowledge and cultivation methods. It is clear that we have to work closely together with local parties that have already made such a big deal before. Fortunately, there are many organizations that have dedicated themselves to this. We are currently mapping this out and are holding talks with these organisations.
A first knowledge session took place in March this year, at which a large number of farmers indicated that they were interested in renewing their approach. This seems to have laid a good breeding ground.
4. Durability
There seem to be good opportunities to pay attention to sustainable energy generation, reuse, etc
Although the consumption of energy and raw materials is disproportionate to our lifestyle, attention to this is necessary everywhere and at all times.
-> a sustainable energy supply for the school with solar energy;
-> a sustainable energy supply through hydropower;
-> use of organic residual material to eg biogas;
Art exhibition
Coincidence (but what is coincidence?) brought one of Nepal's most important artists on our path. Ragini Grela Upadhyay has also made her international breakthrough with her Love Foundation. Exhibitions in Asia, Europe, and now also requests to show her work in New York. We have been in contact with her for some time and are working on a plan to bring her to the Netherlands in May 2023 to have her exhibited here. The proceeds of the exhibition will then partly benefit our Foundation. We are still looking for a suitable place and of course hope that we will let you know in a next newsletter that we have succeeded!
Sponsor children
With the growth in the number of pupils, the number of pupils whose parents are too poor to pay a school contribution is also growing. Since the last newsletter, 10 new sponsors have registered. At the moment there are still six children for whom we are looking for a sponsor. So if you or one of your friends or acquaintances still has a school child and would like to support the school financially, we heartily recommend that.
Will you join the board??
To properly implement the above multi-year plan, we are looking for people with knowledge of the above areas (educational programs, health post, agriculture, sustainability) who want to join the board as an advisor.
Namasté and if you have any questions after reading this newsletter, you can contact me or one of the other board members personally.
Sincerely on behalf of the board,
Jan Post , Chairman jan.post@sailung.nl
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